The Penn's Grove record., 1887-08-13

A letter for Alfredp"
YES said Louise.
"Open it, child See what is in it .
"Open Alfred's letter." exclaimed
Louise, is dismay.
YES, of course. Didn't the doctor
say that nothing must excite or disturb
himp It's about some business, of
course, and perhaps it needs instant at
tention."
Thus urged, Louise hesitatingly tore
open the letter.
tits from a Mr.. Townsend she
said; "a gentleman who is writing a
book"
sWIiting a bookl'' cried Grace.
"What on earth has that to do with
Alfredo"
Its about French literature in the
time of the first Napoleon" went on
Louise, ''and the man wants a lot of
information from some unheard-of book
in the public libraries here, and he can't
come himself because he has sprained
an ankle, and some one has mentioned
to him the name of Alfred as a capa-
BILE, cultivated and literary gentleman,
whose services IN completing a thing of
this nature would be invaluable. He
will be glad to renumerate Mr.. Fortes-
cue at the rate Of 81 a page for all COM
pilations concerning the Napoleonic age
of literature"
"a dollar a pagel" exclaimed Grace,
with cleaning eyes; ''and for doing the
one'thing that Alf likes best in all the
worldlo
"What are we to doPn asked Louise.
"What can we dor" sighed POOR
Grace. write and tell him that Mr..
Fortescue is confined to his bed, and
that the doctor thinks he cannot leave
it for several weeks, even under the
most favorable circumstances. Oh,
dear! it seems wicked to let this high
tide of fortune go by us unimproved."
"Grace, said Louise, with a quick
breath, sit shall not pass us by. 11l
do it myself"
"Youl"
"Why not 1? Cannot | read French
as well as ALI himself? Isn't my hand
writing big and bold enough Tor any
man's2 IH go to these big public libra
ries. III do the compiling for this
man.
"But, Louise, do you believe your
self capable of it?"
Louise drew herself up with much
dignity.
"Do / look like an impostor?" said
she. ''Just wait and see. Give me a
chance to build up my reputation and
don't breathe q word of this to Aft.
One dollarl Our fortune is made"
The next day she took her way to the
library and calmly announced her bust
ness to one of the principals attending--a
silver haired gemtleman-who at nee
became interested in her behalf.
She sent off her work and Mr.. Town
send wrote back expressing the utmost
satisfaction. Nh. Forteseue's MSS, he
said, were far beyond his most sanguine
anticipations in clearness, comprehen-
~siyeness, and research. He did not
know but that the accident of the
sprained ankle was likely to prove a
really fortunate occurrence. And, bet
ter than all, he inclosed a check for a
sum that seemed like a gold-mine to
the girls.
This was in March. When the May
violets began to blossom in the carts of
the fower-sellers, and s'Primrosesl prim-
roses!n cried through the streets, AL
fred was considered sufficiently conval-
escent to be told all these events, and
one afternoon, sitting by the window,
Louise had just begun to say: There
is something we've been saving to tell
YOU. because when Grace.opened
the door, with a puzzled face, and an
nounced:
"Mr. Townsend"
Enter a tall. hne-looking man, who
held out his hand TO the bewildered AL
fred with the utmost courtesy.
t'Being Unexpectedly summoned to
this neighborhood," he said, 81 could
not deny myself the pleasure of calling
to thank you for the very scholarly and
thorough manner in which you have
carried out my ideas respecting the
'Napoleonic era of literature, , and L
wish to bespeak your cooperation in
another and perhaps more compfehen-
sive literary undertaking, which,"
aMy dear sir" cried Alfred, II hav-
emit the least idea what you are talking
about"
"But L havel" cried Louise, starting
up. "I-I-beg your pardon, Mr..
Townsend, but it was l that carried out
the Napoleonic ideas. My brother was
very i'll with brain fever, and we didn't
dare to tell him, and / had been expen-
sively educated, and read French read
ily. so that
"Youd don't tell me" said Mr.. Town
send, ''that you wrote all those follies
in that bold running hand-that you
suited out the kernels from that mass of
historic ~evidence?"
Eyes. / did" confessed poor Louise,
coloring to the very roots of her hair.
II was just beginning TO tell Alfred
about it when you came H."
Things happen most unaccountably
in the world. For example: In a few
weeks Mr.. Townsend discovered that it
would accelerate the progress of his
work very much indeed if he could per-
sonally superintend it. And he found
himself compelled to go over a great
many of the folios with Miss Fortescue.
And one day they drifted into a topic
Of conversation quite irrelevant to liter
allure of any age whatever.
And Alfred, buried soul and spirit in
a pile of tones in the window-seat be-
yond, had to be shaken briskly by the
shoulders before he could be brought
back into everyday existence.
"Eh?p said he, laying down his pen.
What is it?"
"My dear fellow. congratulate me "
cried Townsend, radiantly. "Your sis
ter has promised to be my wifel"
Alfred Fortescue was not particular
ly surprised. Your book-worm never
is surprised at anything.
T. Ne noaa. haforo tho Hoa1fh Ean-